NOTE ON A CALIFORNIAN LOLIGO. 



BY HENRY HEMPHILL. 



In the July (1891) number of the Nautilus, in an article under the 

 heading "Edible Shell Notes," Mr. R. E. C.Stearns mentions a 

 "Ten-armed Cephalopod " which he had seen offered as an article 

 of food in the San Francisco markets. Recently, while passing 

 through the San Francisco and Oakland markets, I found a form of 

 a loligo lying on the stalls of the fish dealers, which they offered at 

 twenty-five cents per pound, and which I think is the "Ten-armed 

 Cephalopod" referred to by Mr. Stearns. Dr. Cooper informs me 

 he had observed a shoal of loligo at Monterey, some years ago, 

 but having no net he was unable to secure a specimen. These that 

 we find here in the markets now are said, by the fish dealers, to be 

 taken in nets outside the Heads by the Chinese fishermen. 



The body and arms of my largest specimen measures about ten 

 inches, the two longest arms being about three inches longer. 

 The arms are not webbed, but each of the eight short ones have two 

 rows of suckers their entire length, while the two other arms have a 

 small patch of small suckers towards their tips. It took nine indi- 

 viduals of those I purchased from the fish dealer to weigh a pound, 

 so we may say they weigh about two ounces each. In cleaning for 

 cooking they will lose about half their weight, and each one will then 

 furnish about one ounce of flesh. 



In preparing them for cooking, after having removed the outer 

 skin, pen, head, arms and entrails, they should be carefully washed, 

 and fried in plenty of hot butter or fat, and seasoned to the taste. 



Those which I had prepared and cooked were a little tough, 

 though quite palatable, being nicely flavored, but they never will 

 take the place of the delicious oysters and clams that have inspired 

 poets to sing their praises. 



In the form of its body and the coloring, as well as in the form ol 

 the pen, it closely resembles Loligo Galii D'Orbigny, but as I have 

 no other material with which to compare it, and no description of 

 that form, I cannot say definitely whether it is that species or not. 

 This form makes an interessing addition to our west coast Cepha- 

 lopods, and if upon further study I should conclude it to be new I 

 propose to call it Loligo Stearnsii. 



